According to a report released by the Minnesota Department of Health on October 9th, two employees of an Eden Prairie nursing home run by Presbyterian Homes dropped a frail resident, and then lied about it. The incident resulted in fatal injuries. The workers were using a mechanical lift to transfer the resident from a bed to a wheelchair. The investigation found that the workers “failed to check and verify that all of the loops on the sling were properly attached to the lift” before trying to move the resident. The resident fell to the floor and suffered numerous broken bones, including the left femur, right collar bone and several ribs. The resident also suffered a collapsed lung, and developed respiratory and renal failure before dying three days later at the hospital, the report added.
A nurse entered the room shortly s after the incident and saw the resident in a wheelchair. The workers told the nurse that the resident suffered a bump to the head from a bar on the lift. X-rays received by the facility two hours later showed several broken bones.
The nurse asked the workers to re-enact the incident, leading the nurse to determine “that it was not possible that the bar hit [the resident’s] head.” The resident said, “I knew this would happen.” One of the workers eventually acknowledged hiding the truth out of fear that “they would lose their jobs.”
Understanding how to use mechanical lifts safely is critical to the proper care of vulnerable nursing home residents. The Kosieradzki Smith Law Firm has the experience and skill necessary to investigate and prosecute nursing homes for failing to ensure the supervision, training, and competence needed to protect residents from the improper use of mechanical lifts. Contact the Kosieradzki Smith Law Firm today online or toll-free at (877) 552-2873 for a no-cost consultation.
